1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rail trackway fitted with braking devices which are arranged along predetermined intervals and comprise elastically deformable braking bodies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, rail vehicles on trackways have been used for the warehousing of and for the transshipment of goods at transloading stations and in warehouses. There are frequently used railway vehicles on inclined trackways and these vehicles are switched, pulled, or pushed on the trackway. When it happens that railway vehicles, which are not driven or which are not permanently attached to a driving vehicle fitted with brake devices and which are used on a rail trackway which has a certain gradient, it is necessary to use braking devices on the trackway to control the rail vehicle movement. In this manner, the prior art has recognized the need to keep the speed of these railway vehicles within certain limits. The gradient of the trackway is usually selected to be at least as large as will provide, in all circumstances, a safe and automatic rolling from a resting condition when the brake is released and that this rolling will occur irrespective of whether the railway vehicle is heavily loaded, lightly loaded, or empty. However, when a severe or very steep gradient is used, this brings about an acceleration of the railway vehicle to such a speed which goes beyond a tolerated limit and the prior art has recognized the need to brake the railway vehicles.
For deceleration of railway vehicles, the prior art has used large-scale, expensive friction brakes, electric brakes, and hydraulic brakes, all of which are relatively susceptible to breakdowns and all of which are high in initial costs or maintenance.
It has also been proposed in the prior art to arrange under the running surface of the rail trackway, elastically deformable braking bodies which have an upper attachment and which bodies project through a slot partially into the trackway. This attachment is run over by the vehicles, and the elastic brake body thus deforms, whereby the vehicles are decelerated.